Seven of Wands - Boundaries

After our family weekend, the Seven of Wands is coming up repeatedly for me. Today it is the version from the Goddess Tarot by Kris Waldherr. When I look at the picture I instantly feel like I have to brace myself for something. This card is all about being faithful to my own convictions and to stand up for my beliefs. I am the only one who knows deep down what is good for me and I will stay strong and chose my battles wisely.  I am not going to start any argument but I will not give in to manipulative behavior either. It is obvious this is a solitary act of bravery against six other wands but I am rather with myself  than with people who don’t really see me for who I am.

So this card is all about creating boundaries for my emotional balance and as a way to keep “the peace”

When I am writing this the Goddess Durga comes to mind. I haven’t given her much thought lately. Maybe it is a good idea to reconnect with her energy by chanting to her during my meditation and/or to meditate with her seed mantra: Dum

"Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love ourselves, even when we risk disappointing others".Brene Brown

Nine of Pentacles - Feeling secure within my own boundaries

From The Crystal Visions Tarot I've pulled for today the Nine of Pentacles. As usual we see a refined woman who has done well for herself and is enjoying life’s little luxuries in her garden. She is fulfilled and content. In most of my decks she is only accompanied by her falcon while in this depiction there is also a tiger present.

This tiger reminded me of my post about finding Durga through tarot. The goddess Durga is a protectress of boundaries and she is riding a tiger while fighting of the enemies. This evening my son in law will come to stay with us for one week and Sunday my husband will come to visit us too. I think protecting my boundaries can be a “lifesaver” for me, although of course those two men are not my enemies. It is more about my inner demons, the ones that urge me to ignore my own needs. Too often without noticing it, I am inclined to push my boundaries for the sake of everybody else’s happiness. But thanks to this card, I will remind myself I have a lovely room upstairs where I can be that lady of the Nine of Pentacles. I can read there, play with my cards, meditate, write, drink my coffee: just be comfortable with myself en recharge. And if the weather is fine there is a bike waiting for me in the shed or I can pull out a chair to sit in the back of my garden. So for the coming week, keeping my boundaries will be a focal point. And when I see how relaxed the tiger is laying there beside his lady, I think everything will work out just fine

Finding Durga through Tarot

Goddess Oracle

Yesterday I had drawn the seven of wands and I have asked myself a lot of questions about this card. One of the main subjects was how to defend my own physical and mental private space. I know I have always had an issue with setting my boundaries. Apparently I do respect other peoples boundaries more than my own. I noticed how tired the guy in the card was and how he was likely to give up, putting the needs of the others above his own. (Isn’t the tarot a wonderful mirror J)

Later that night when I had put these thoughts aside, I was surfing the web for another mantra. I have been singing the Tara mantra for some time now and I would like to try another one so I could experience the differences between them. It had to be a short one for I still find it difficult to remember the words. And I don’t want to bothered by that while I am chanting. So I found the Durga mantra: “Om Dum Durgayai Namaha” which means something like: “Om and Salutations to that feminine energy which protects from all manner of negative influences." It looked like a perfect mantra for me. Then I started searching to get to know more about the goddess Durga. The only thing I did know was that she is a fierce goddess.

While reading up on her I discovered (in short) she is a protective mother goddess and she helps us to stand up for ourselves. Googling  for some depictions of her I found this one from the Goddess oracle. The caption says: Durga – Boundaries. And that discovery closed the circle around me and made me feel safe.

I‘ve tried this chant the same night. I particularly liked the version of Thomas Barquee 

When I flipped through my tarot cards I saw that there are a few cards that represent the aspects of Durga for me. First of course the seven of wands but also the nine of wands, and not to forget Strength. It might be a fun challenge to use tarot to describe some more aspects of the goddess (just like naming them) 

Crystal Visions Tarot